Effect of neural mobilisation in Bell's palsy: A randomised controlled trial.
Raed Alharbi, Faizan Zaffar Kashoo, Mehrunnisha Ahmed and 7 others
PMID 37583924WHAT IT FOUND
Adding facial nerve mobilisation to standard care improved facial symmetry scores by 9.2 points on a 100-point scale compared to placebo after 3 weeks.
This suggests the technique adds benefit, though long-term effects remain unknown.
Key findings
01The experimental group achieved significantly higher Sunnybrook Scale scores (mean 81.5) than the control group (mean 72.2) after 3 weeks, with a between-group difference of 9.2 points.
02Significant improvements were also seen in secondary outcomes measuring the symmetry of the zygomatic, frontalis, and orbicularis oris muscles.
03A sensitivity analysis controlling for age, gender, BMI, and duration of symptoms revealed a non-significant difference in the primary outcome scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study lacked long-term follow-up, so it is unknown if the gains persist beyond 3 weeks. The neural mobilisation technique used was not fully validated prior to this trial. The sensitivity analysis, which controlled for age, gender, BMI, and duration, resulted in a non-significant difference for the primary outcome, suggesting the observed benefit may be less robust than the primary analysis indicates. Participants were healthy adults with no history of diabetes or hypertension, limiting generalisability to patients with comorbidities.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the 9.2-point improvement is a guaranteed outcome for all patients. The benefit was not statistically significant when the researchers controlled for factors like age and gender, and the study did not track patients long enough to see if the improvement lasted.